FREE ESSAY ON THE LIGHT IN THE DARKNESS

THE LIGHT IN THE DARKNESS

The Light in the Darkness
Author James Conrad, in his short story "Heart of Darkness," uses light in an attempt to
symbolize the civilization of the European world and those things which, by appearances,
are generally accepted as "good." To emphasize the acceptability of good or light, it is
often contrasted to the symbolization of darkness, which Conrad shows as uncivilized,
savage or bad. Conrad uses the character's reactions to light, bright or otherwise
colorful things and events to encourage the reader to concur that these symbols represent
the civilization he's left in Europe and the goodness of that civilization. 
The use of light as good is seen early in the story when the narrator comments on the
setting sun. He says the "glowing white changed to a dull red without rays and without
heat, as if about to go out suddenly, stricken to death by the touch of that gloom
brooding over a crowd of men" (345). The narrator is comparing the light to life and the
darkness to the gloom and death that follows. 
As Marlow begins recounting his arduous trip through the Congo, he reflects upon times
past - other rivers that, once uncivilized and dark, are now teeming with civilization
and brightness. He states, "Light came out of this river since - you say Knights?... But
darkness was here yesterday" (346). Here, Marlow is referring to the Thames as at one
time being uncivilized and dark, but since the time of the Knights' exploration and
resulting development of the river's banks and surrounding land, is now referred to as
good, or light. Marlow also refers to the light reflecting on the water. The reader gets
a sense that Conrad is trying to relay that the passengers of the "Nellie" represent
civilization for the voyages they undertake.
Conrad later compares Marlow's boyhood idealism of adventure and spirit with light. He
does this as Marlow is reminiscing about his childhood and says "[I would] lose myself in
all the glories of exploration" (348). No longer a boy, Marlow discovers "a white patch
for a boy to dream gloriously over"(348) has now been charted on the map and becomes "a
place of darkness" (348). Conrad effectively symbolizes youthful innocence and
adventurous spirit with lightness through this comparison of uncharted and charted maps.

As Marlow seeks to take refuge from the heat in the shaded area at the Company's station,
Conrad shows again the symbol of light as representing civilization. This time it is "a
bit of white worsted" (356) tied about the neck of one of the dying criminals. The reader
is left to think that the criminal may be coveting the civilization he assisted to create
in the Congo, and thus giving his life to the cause, by wearing this representative
whiteness.
One of the most obvious representations of light as civilization and goodness is seen
when Marlow first meets the Company's chief accountant. This man's clothes are
immaculately clean and white. Marlow respects and admires him. The respect Marlow feels
for the accountant is not one of respecting the man, so much as the accountant's ability
to keep "up his appearance" (356) and thus his civilized manners in the midst of the
uncivilized surroundings. Marlow justifies the ill treatment of this man's female worker
for the purpose of keeping civilization at the forefront of the minds of those he serves
and those served by him through his representative cleanliness and whiteness of his
clothes.
Conrad also employs the use of light as representative of civilization and goodness when
Marlow meets the young man that left a stack of firewood down river from Kurtz's camp.
Marlow describes the young man as wearing clothes covered with "bright" patches. He
comments "the sunshine made him look extremely gay and wonderfully neat withal" (385).
Marlow goes on to describe the man's physical characteristics and alluding to the
civilized look and character this man carries even though he was living an uncivilized
existence in the Congo for the past two years.
It's ironic the goal resulting from the white men's conquering of the savages, and thus
becoming savage-like themselves, is to secure ivory, an item held to be white and pure.
Perhaps the most telling symbolization of light within the story is Kurtz's argument in
his diary that whites "must necessarily appear to them [savages] in the nature of
supernatural beings.... By the simple exercise of our will we can exert a power for good
practically unbounded" (383). This statement lays the basic principle for all other
references to light as representing civilization of the European world and those things,
which by appearances, are generally accepted as good. Here, Kurtz is referring to the
accepted savagery of the civilized white men simply because they are of fairer skin than
the natives. Kurtz is indicating the natives are uncivilized and thus justifiably treated
as worthless beings, and that not only are the white men civilized, but viewed as the
ultimate good and light - a "deity" (383).